The effects of intensive mindfulness meditation training on mental health: evidence of effectiveness and safety from a matched-controlled intervention study.
Yuval Hadash, Omer Dar, Romi Oren-Schwartz, Amit Bernstein
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy April 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1080/16506073.2026.2656720 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective intervention study Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 135 |
| Population | Adults who registered for 6-day insight mindfulness meditation retreats and matched controls |
| Intervention | 6-day insight mindfulness meditation retreat |
| Duration | 6-day intervention, 2-week follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Adverse effects Meditation retreat Meditation safety Mental health Mindfulness interventions |
| Registration | NCT04749264 |
| Key points | A 6-day mindfulness meditation retreat produced significant improvements in well-being, negative affect, perseverative thinking, brooding rumination, and depression symptoms at 2-week follow-up compared to matched controls, with no evidence of increased adverse effects. |
Abstract
Despite increased public interest and research on intensive high-dose mental health interventions, much remains unknown about the mental health effects and safety of multi-day intensive high-dose mindfulness meditation training. Accordingly, we conducted a preregistered prospective intervention study among 89 adults who registered for 6-day insight mindfulness meditation retreats and 46 matched controls (Mage(SDage) = 33.75 (9.50), 56.3% female). Retreat participants demonstrated significant improvements in well-being, negative affect, perseverative thinking, brooding rumination, and depression symptoms at 2-week follow-up compared to matched controls (η2 range = .04-.08, ps < .05). Effects on positive affect, emotion regulation, and anxiety symptoms were not significant. The percentage of participants exhibiting statistically reliable deterioration in mental health at 2-week follow-up was equal or lower among retreat participants than matched controls, both in the full sample and in a subsample with clinically elevated depression and/or anxiety (ORs < 1). Findings suggest that a 6-day mindfulness meditation retreat can produce rapid improvements in mental health, comparable to effect sizes of much longer 8-week mindfulness-based programs. Findings also challenge concerns about adverse effects of intensive high-dose meditation retreats and suggest they may be a safe and effective intervention modality, even for clinically vulnerable adults struggling with depression or anxiety.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov registration ID NCT04749264.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 23
- Global Street Food: la cocina de la calle Diseño interior 2009
- The Empirical Status of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Systematic Review of 44 Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials Perspectives on Psychological Science February 16, 2021
- The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists PLoS One May 24, 2017
- Enhanced response inhibition during intensive meditation training predicts improvements in self-reported adaptive socioemotional functioning. Emotion April 1, 2011
- Unwanted effects: Is there a negative side of meditation? A multicentre survey PLoS One September 5, 2017
and 18 more in the library